An unusual protest is planned for Washington as women plan to drive around the Saudi embassy to protest the kingdom's ban on female drivers.
The Institute for Gulf Affairs, which is sponsoring Wednesday's rally, accuses Saudi Arabia of practicing a system of gender apartheid that oppresses women – most noticeably by refusing to allow women behind the wheel.
The protest will run from noon to 4 pm outside the embassy in Washington. It is designed to support a protest planned for Friday inside the kingdom itself.
Senior Saudi clerics have issued fatwas, or religious edicts, banning women from driving, claiming it protects against the spread of vice and temptation because women drivers would be free to leave home alone and interact with male strangers.